Like "Midsummer's Floral Dream", this portrait started with a virtual session hosted by Shadiyah, the model sitting for this painting. She decided her own costume and pose. I used a photo reference to finish the portrait. For this painting I did change the background, feeling that I really wanted to lean into this opportunity to use a limited color scheme, which was so prominent.
By the time of me painting this portrait, I was starting to feel malaise (I'm sure you could imagine the reasons) and no motivation to paint. Really disciplining myself to sit down and continue brought to mind how for me, "the zone" is something I can push myself into, not a prerequisite to painting, and I hobble myself to wait to "feel like" painting. I recognize this is something not everyone can relate to, but on the off chance you really needed to hear this from someone, I will say it out loud.
Model: Shadiyah